Parallelism - Meaning, Definition, Rules and Examples

When you start learning the English language, you start with words, phrases, clauses and sentences. Gradually, you move on to sentence structure, tenses, and active and passive voice. Once you have familiarised yourself with these grammar topics, you should learn another important topic that will help you write well-constructed, meaningful sentences – parallelism.

Through the course of this article, you will be introduced to the meaning and definition of parallelism and the rules to be followed when writing parallel ideas, phrases, clauses or sentences. In addition to this, the article will provide you with examples of parallelism to help you have an in-depth understanding.

Table of Contents

• What Is Parallelism? – Meaning and Definition
• How Does Parallelism Work? – Rules and Tips
• When Use Parallel Structure?
• Examples of Parallelism in Sentences
• Check Your Understanding of Parallelism
• Frequently Asked Questions on Parallelism in English Grammar

What Is Parallelism? – Meaning and Definition

The word ‘parallel’ is an adjective that refers to the quality of something being placed side by side, and ‘parallelism’ refers to the state of something being parallel or in relation to another entity. In English grammar, the term ‘parallelism’ refers to the use of words, phrases, clauses and other grammatical components to indicate similar ideas in a particular sentence. It makes the sentence clear, balanced and meaningful.

The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines parallelism as “the arrangement of similarly constructed clauses, sentences, or verse lines in a pairing or other sequence suggesting some correspondence between them”. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, parallelism is “the use of matching sentence structure, phrases, or longer parts so as to balance ideas of equal importance”. Another definition of parallelism, as put forward by the Collins Dictionary, is as follows: “the repetition of a syntactic construction in successive sentences for rhetorical effect”.

How Does Parallelism Work? – Rules and Tips

The primary idea that you will have to keep in mind when using similar words, phrases and clauses in sentences is that it should be balanced throughout the sentence. Such a balanced arrangement can be achieved by repeating the same syntactic forms and structure. Now, why should the same structure be used throughout? This is a doubt that might arise. Well, it is because all the elements mentioned in the sentence are equally important.

In order to write such sentences, there are a few rules you should follow. Here they are.

Rule 1: When providing a list of items within a sentence, mention all of them in the same syntactic form.

Rule 2: When listing out points, make sure they are in the same structure.

Rule 3: When mentioning a series of actions in a sentence, see to it that all of them are written in the same verb forms.

Rule 4: If two or more phrases or clauses mentioning similar or contrasting ideas are used in the same sentence, see to it that they have the same syntactic structure.

A common rule when applying parallelism in sentences is the usage of commas to separate similar/contrasting words, phrases and clauses.

When Use Parallel Structure?

Knowing when to use parallelism is as important as knowing how to use it. Read on to learn where and when the parallel structure is applied in sentences.

• When you are connecting two or more phrases or clauses using coordinating conjunctions; for example, I will be going to meet my friends in Bangalore and also visit my cousins on the way.
• When you are making use of correlative conjunctions to connect two or more phrases and clauses; for example, If you come home early, we can have dinner together.
• When comparing two or more phrases or clauses with words like ‘than’ and ‘as’; for example, We would rather lie under the night sky than sleep in a small tent.
• When comparing or listing multiple courses of action in a sentence; for example, Online classes and work from home have become the new normal since the dawn of the pandemic.

Examples of Parallelism in Sentences

Take a look at the following examples to have a much clearer understanding of each of these rules.

Examples of Rule 1

• I had grilled steak, mashed potatoes and stir-fried vegetables for breakfast.
• Serena gave her friend, Theena, a bar of chocolate, a cake and a smartwatch on her birthday.

Examples of Rule 2

• The types of prepositions are,
  • Prepositions of Time
  • Prepositions of Place
  • Prepositions of Location
  • Prepositions of Direction
  • Prepositions of Spatial Relationship
• The following are the steps to make lemon rice.
  • Heat the pan and pour the necessary oil.
  • Add mustard seeds and dried red chillies.
  • To this, add finely chopped onions.
  • Once the onions turn slightly pink, turn off the stove.
  • Add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder and saute it for around 5 mins.
  • Leave it to cool for a few minutes.
  • Now, squeeze half a lemon into the pan.
  • Add the boiled rice (salt to be added while boiling) and mix it well.
  • Finally, add finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot.

Examples of Rule 3

• Today, I went for a walk in the morning and a swim later.
• Rahul loves watching horror movies and playing video games.

Examples of Rule 4

• Setting a timetable, studying your daily lessons and keeping track of your progress will help you achieve good grades.
• As part of my project, I will have to prepare questionnaires, interview 25 candidates, conduct a focused group discussion and derive conclusions based on the data collected.

Check Your Understanding of Parallelism

Go through the following sentences and combine them using parallelism.

1. My brother will not watch TV. He will not let me watch TV.

2. Susan has been to Paris. Susan has not been to Turkey.

3. We went on a trip to Hampi. We trekked up the Anjanadri Hill. We went on a coracle ride in Sonapur Lake. We visited the Vijayanagara Empire and the Lotus Mahal.

4. Soumia works as an Operations Manager at NIDA. Soumia also freelances as a model.

5. Pollution is affecting the lives of plants, animals and human beings. Pollution is causing irreversible damage to the entire planet.

Read through the following section to find out if you have combined the sentences correctly using the concept of parallelism.

1. Neither will my brother watch TV, nor will he let me watch.

2. Susan has been to Paris but not to Turkey.

3. On our trip to Hampi, we trekked up the Anjanadri Hill, went on a coracle ride in Sonapur Lake, and visited the Vijayanagara Empire and the Lotus Mahal.

4. Soumia not only works as an Operations Manager at NIDA but also freelances as a model.

5. Pollution is affecting the lives of plants, animals and human beings and causing irreversible damage to the entire planet.